Islam’s  Challenge 

to 

Methodism 

by  • 

William  G.  Shellabear 


BOARD  OF  FOREIGN  MISSIONS  of  the 
METHODIST  EPISCOPAL  CHURCH 

150  FIFTH  AVENUE,  NBW  YORK 


19  19 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2016 


https://archive.org/details/islamschallengetOOshel 


An  Arab 


Islam’s  Challenge 

- to  - 

Methodism 

BY 

William  G.  Shellabear 


BOARD  OF  FOREIGN  MISSIONS 


OF  THE 

METHODIST  EPISCOPAL  CHURCH 
150  Fifth  Avenue,  New  York 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

I.  The  Situation  in  India 5 

II.  Malaysia  is  Almost  Wholly  Moslem 8 

III.  North  Africa  — a Moslem  Stronghold  10 

IV.  There  are  Mohammedans  in  China  11 

V.  Why  a Special  Effort  to  Reach  Moslems? 12 

VI.  The  Strength  of  Islam  14 

VII.  The  Inadequacy  of  Islam  16 

VIII.  Does  Islam  Satisfy  Moslems? 20 

IX.  How  Can  We  Help  the  Moslems? 22 

X.  Selected  Bibliography  30 


Islam’s  Challenge  to  Methodism 


To  deal  adequately  with  the  Mohammedan  religion  is  admitted 
to  be  the  most  difficult  problem  which  faces  the  Christian  Church 
today. 

What  is  Methodism’s  part  in  this  new  crusade? 

In  four  great  mission  fields  our  missionaries  are  face  to  face 
with  more  than  half  the  Mohammedans  in  the  world. 

India  has  66,647,299  Moslems 

Malaysia  has  37,046,687  Moslems 

North  Africa  has 9,725,000  Moslems 

China  has  8,421,000  Moslems 

To  neglect  our  obligations  to  give  the  blessings  of  Christ’s  sal- 
vation to  these  millions  of  proud  but  grossly  ignorant  and  super- 
stitious followers  of  the  prophet  of  Arabia  would  be  to  do  them  a 
great  wrong,  and  would  seem  to  imply  that  we  think  the  task  too 
difficult  to  make  it  worth  while  to  put  forth  the  effort. 


THE  SITUATION  IN  INDIA 

Mohammedanism  is  actually  making  more  converts  than  Chris- 
tianity. 

In  1906  Bishop  Warne  said:  “In  India  there  is  a multitude  of 

low  caste  people  who  will  become  Moslems  or  Christians.  Ten  mil- 
lions in  Bengal  have  become  Moslems.”  This  process  still  continues. 

The  last  census  showed  that  the  number  of  Mohammedans  in 
India  had  increased  more  than  4,000,000  in  ten  years.  This  increase 
is  more  than  the  total  number  of  all  Christians  in  India. 

In  1881,  the  Mohammedans  were  only  197  to  every  1000  of  the 
population  of  India.  Thirty  years  later  they  were  213  to  every 
thousand. 

The  Moslem  birth  rate  is  higher  than  that  of  the  Hindus. 


346 


5 


6 


Islam’s  Challenge  to  Methodism 


In  the  last  decade  (1901  to  1911)  the  Hindus  increased  5.04%, 
but  the  Moslems  increased  6.7%.  And  the  increase  was  most  rapid 
in  those  parts  of  India  where  the  population  is  mainly  Hindu. 

Owing  to  the  great  success  of  Christian  missions  in  India, 
Mohammedanism  has  been  more  profoundly  shaken  by  its  contact 
with  Christianity  than  in  any  other  country  in  the  world. 

The  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  is  in  a position  to  do  more 
effective  work  among  Mohammedans  in  India  than  perhaps  any  other 
Protestant  Church. 


(1)  Methodism  is  most  strongly  established  in  those  parts 
of  India  where  the  population  is  predominantly  Mohammedan. 


In  the  N.  W.  Frontier  Province. 93%  are  Moslems 

In  the  Punjab  55%  are  Moslems 

In  Bengal  53%  are  Moslems 

In  Bombay  20%  are  Moslems 

In  the  United  Provinces 14%  are  Moslems 

zw~ 


(2)  All  the  great  Mohammedan  cities  are  strongly  occupied 
by  our  mission.  Their  populations  are  as  follows : 


Calcutta  .. 
Bombay  ... 
Hyderabad 
Lucknow  . 

Delhi  

Lahore  


1,222,313 

979,445 

500,623 

259,798 

232,837 

228,687 


(3)  At  Lucknow  we  have  our  great  Publishing  House  fully 
equipped  to  produce  the  Christian  literature  which  is  the  first  essen- 
tial in  a great  campaign  for  the  salvation  of  the  Mohammedans,  and 
we  have  already  a considerable  amount  of  literature  in  Hindustani 
written  especially  for  Mohammedans. 

(4)  In  India  the  first  Methodist  convert  was  a Moslem,  and 
this  same  man,  Zahur-ul-Haqq,  was  also  the  first  ordained  Methodist 
preacher,  and  the  first  Indian  District  Superintendent.  Surely  we 
owe  something  to  the  Mohammedans.  At  the  present  time  some  of 
our  strongest  Indian  preachers  are  converts  from  Mohammedanism, 
and  are  well  qualified  to  lead  in  this  important  work.  One  of  them, 
the  late  Mahbub  Khan,  again  and  again  urged  the  ease  with  which 


Islam’s  Challenge  to  Methodism 


7 


THE  TAJ  MAHAL 

From  “Popular  Aspects  of  Oriental  Religions” 
By  L.  O.  Hartmann 


MARBLE  SCREEN"  AT  THE  ENTRANCE  OF  THE 
TAJ  MAHAL 

From  “Popular  Aspects  of  Oriental  Religions” 
By  L.  O.  Hartmann 


8 


Islam’s  Challenge  to  Methodism 


the  Mohammedan  villagers,  whose  knowledge  of  Islam  is  so  slight, 
could  be  won  for  Christ,  if  we  went  definitely  at  the  task. 

Work  among  Mohammedans  can  be  done  in  India  under  pecul- 
iarly favorable  circumstances,  owing,  to  the  protection  and  the 
religious  freedom  assured  by  the  British  government.  Moreover  it 
is  possible  to  work  among  Mohammedans  of  both  the  two  great  sects, 
Sunnis  and  Shiahs,  and  thus  influence  the  entire  Moslem  world.  And 
as  Hindustani  is  the  lingua  franca  of  the  Mohammedans  in  all  parts 
of  India,  special  workers  for  Moslems  need  not  be  confined  to  any 
one  area,  but  could  w’ork  all  over  the  country. 


MALAYSIA  IS  ALMOST  WHOLLY  MOSLEM 

Out  of  a total  population  on  the  Malay  Peninsula  and  Archi- 
pelago, amounting  to  41,687,312,  there  are  only  4,640,625  who  are 
not  Mohammedans. 

About  half  of  the  non-Moslem  population  of  Malaysia  are 
Chinese. 

This  means  that  all  the  native  races  of  Malaysia  have  already 
been  converted  to  Mohammedanism  except  about  two  millions. 

The  process  of  conversion  to  Islam  is  still  going  on  rapidly  among 
the  heathen  tribes  in  the  interior  of  Borneo,  Sumatra,  and  Celebes. 

Among  many  of  the  natives,  conversion  to  Mohammedanism  is 
spoken  of  as  “becoming  a Malay.” 

The  common  people  firmly  believe  that  no  Malay  ever  became  a 
Christian,  and  that  their  own  faith  is  the  great  victorious  world 
religion. 

Until  recently  all  Malays  believed  that  Turkey  was  one  of  the 
greatest  nations  in  the  world,  and  were  looking  forward  to  the  day 
when  Islam  would  finally  triumph  over  all  Christian  nations.  This 
idea  is  probably  not  dead  yet. 

The  world  war,  however,  has  had  a profound  influence  upon  the 
Mohammedans  of  Malaysia.  Dr.  Gunning,  the  well-known  Dutch 
missionary  secretary,  has  just  returned  from  Malaysia  to  Europe, 
and  says,  “The  moment  for  the  presentation  of  the  Gospel  to  the 
Mohammedans  is  much  more  favorable  than  at  any  previous  time.” 


Islam’s  Challenge  to  Methodism 


9 


The  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  is  the  only  American  church 
which  is  working  in  this  field. 

The  only  other  strong  missionary  society  in  Malaysia  is  the 
Rhenish  Mission,  which  is  working  only  among  the  Bataks  of  Sumatra 
and  the  South  Borneo  Dayaks. 

Practically  nothing  is  being  done  to  reach  the  Mohammedans 
anywhere  in  Malaysia,  except  on  the  island  of  Java,  where  several 
small  Dutch  societies  are  working,  and  have  had  remarkable  success, 
for  there  is  now  a Christian  community  of  between  20,000  and  30,000 
who  have  been  won  to  Christianity  from  Islam.  Nowhere  in  the 
world  have  such  results  been  achieved  among  Mohammedans. 

On  the  island  of  Sumatra,  thousands  of  the  Bataks,  who  had 
become  Mohammedans,  have  been  converted  to  Christianity  from 
Islam  by  the  Rhenish  Mission.  A chain  of  four  mission  stations,  ex- 
tending across  the  island  from  East  to  West,  were  manned  by  specially 
trained  missionaries  to  arrest  the  progress  of  Mohammedan  propa- 
ganda from  the  North.  In  1906,  Missionary  Simon  reported  to  the 
Cairo  Conference  that  more  than  6,000  Mohammedans  had  been  re- 
ceived into  the  church.  The  same  success  may  be  hoped  for  in  other 
parts  of  Malaysia  if  adequate  measures  are  employed. 

Perhaps  the  most  effective  way  to  reach  the  Mohammedans  of 
Malaysia,  to  disarm  their  strong  prejudice  against  Christianity,  and 
to  get  into  heart  to  heart  touch  with  them,  will  be  through  medical 
missions.  The  death  rate  among  children,  and  the  suffering  of  the 
people  of  all  ages  through  their  ignorance  and  lack  of  medical  help 
is  appalling.  The  Dutch  government  offers  to  pay  three-fourths  of 
the  cost  of  building  hospitals,  and  to  provide  the  salaries  of  doctors 
and  nurses,  if  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  will  furnish  the  men 
and  women  for  this  work.  So  far  we  have  only  built  one  hospital, 
and  have  sent  out  two  doctors  and  one  nurse. 

Singapore,  the  great  sea-port  of  the  Orient,  is  the  center  of 
Moslem  propaganda  in  Malaysia,  and  should  be  strongly  manned  as 
the  base  for  a great  literature  campaign  for  the  enlightenment  of  this 
island  world. 

The  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  has  a great  Publishing  House 
at  Singapore,  splendidly  equipped  to  produce  millions  of  books  and 
tracts  for  the  Malay  races.  Thousands  of  tracts,  written  specially 


10 


Islam’s  Challenge  to  Methodism 


for  Moslems,  are  lying  on  the  shelves  because  there  is  no  adequate 
organization  for  the  dissemination  of  this  literature. 

The  Methodist  mission  has  about  twenty-five  American  mission- 
aries in  Singapore,  but  not  one  of  them  is  working  among  Moslems. 


NORTH  AFRICA  — A MOSLEM  STRONGHOLD 

The  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  is  occupying  the  whole  of  North 
Africa,  with  the  exception  of  Egypt.  From  Egypt  to  the  Atlantic 
Ocean  is  a distance  of  2,400  miles. 

This  entire  region  was  once  a Christian  land,  with  40,000 
churches,  and  600  bishoprics. 

In  the  seventh  century,  the  Arabs  overran  the  whole  country  from 
Egypt  to  Morocco.  In  no  other  part  of  the  world  has  Christianity 
suffered  such  defeat,  amounting  to  complete  extinction. 

For  1000  years  North  Africa  has  groaned  under  the  blight  of 
Moslem  rule.  The  forests  were  destroyed,  the  climate  ruined,  famines 
and  pestilence  resulted,  and  the  whole  population  lapsed  into  semi- 
barbarism. 

In  1830,  the  French  entered  Algeria,  and  they  have  opened  up 
the  country,  so  that  now  North  Africa  has  several  thousand  miles  of 
railroads,  and  in  Algeria  and  Tunisia  there  are  over  10,000  miles 
of  excellent  automobile  roads.  Government  schools  are  teaching 
thousands  of  boys  in  the  French  language. 

The  Berbers,  who  form  the  great  bulk  of  the  population,  are  a 
Caucasian  race.  Although  they  are  Moslems,  they  have  always  been 
considered  heterodox  by  the  Arabs,  owing  to  their  independence  of 
character.  Now  they  are  giving  strong  indications  that  they  will 
respond  readily  to  the  advance  of  civilization. 

Half  a million  young  men  of  the  Berber  race  have  been  serving 
in  France,  in  the  trenches  and  munition  factories.  After  fraternizing 
with  the  French  soldiers,  and  seeing  the  home  life  of  the  people  in 
France,  they  are  changed  men,  and  they  can  never  again  be  content 
to  live  their  former  narrow  life. 

Dr.  Frease,  the  superintendent  of  our  mission,  writes:  “An 

opportunity  unparalleled  in  work  among  Moslems  has  come  to  us, 


Islam’s  Challenge  to  Methodism 


11 


and  we  are  not  ready  for  it.  New  missionaries  are  desperately 
needed.” 

The  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  has  been  working  in  this  field 
only  ten  years.  Responsibility  for  this  area  was  undertaken  at  the 
urgent  request  of  the  great  meeting  of  the  World’s  Sunday  School 
Association  held  at  Zurich  in  1907.  No  other  American  mission  is 
at  work  in  this  field,  and  unless  adequate  forces  are  employed,  suc- 
cess will  be  impossible. 

North  Africa  is  the  base  from  which  the  Mohammedan  in- 
vasion of  Central  Africa  is  being  carried  on.  If  Islam  can  be  shaken 
here,  the  results  will  be  far-reaching. 

Bishop  Hartzell  says:  “The  Mohammedan  advance  in  Africa 

is  the  largest  missionary  world  problem  confronting  the  whole  church 
at  the  beginning  of  the  twentieth  century.  Our  most  immediate  and 
insistent  duty  is  to  give  the  Gospel  to  Africa’s  millions,  thus  saving 
them  from  the  Moslem  faith,  and  the  continent  for  Christ.” 


THERE  ARE  MOHAMMEDANS  IN  CHINA 

The  Chinese  Mohammedans  are  nearly  all  in  West  and  North 
China. 

Methodist  missionaries  come  across  them  in  the  West  China  and 
North  China  Conferences. 

Chinese  Mohammedans  are  quite  distinct  from  other  Chinese  in 
their  social  life,  and  in  many  of  their  customs.  They  have  a great 
number  of  mosques,  and  many  of  them  observe  the  outward  forms  of 
their  religion,  but  they  are  much  more  open  to  the  influence  of  the 
Gospel  and  more  friendly  to  Christians  than  any  other  Moslems  in 
the  world. 

Unfortunately  very  little  special  effort  is  being  made  by  any  of 
the  mission  boards  working  in  China  to  win  these  Mohammedans  to 
Christ,  or  to  take  advantage  of  their  present  friendly  attitude. 

In  connection  with  the  Continuation  Committee  of  the  Edin- 
burgh Ecumenical  Conference,  a committee  was  appointed  in  1917 
to  deal  with  the  Mohammedan  problem  in  China,  and  this  committee 
reported  that  the  work  demands  specialization,  but  at  present  no 


12 


Islam’s  Challenge  to  Methodism 


missionary  has  been  specially  set  apart  by  any  mission  for  Moslem 
work. 

The  Bible  societies  have  produced,  and  are  circulating,  bi-lingual 
Gospels  in  Chinese  and  Arabic  for  the  Mohammedans,  and  an  effort 
is  being  made  to  provide  other  literature  specially  suitable  for  them. 

There  have  always  been  Mohammedan  children  in  our  Christian 
schools  in  West  China,  and  probably  in  other  parts  of  the  country. 
In  Chengtu  one  of  our  leading  Christians  was  formerly  a Moham- 
medan. Our  Woman’s  Society  conducts  a girls’  school  in  the  Moham- 
medan section,  at  which  the  pupils  are  mostly  from  Mohammedan 
homes. 

Dr.  Beech,  of  Chengtu,  writes:  “The  Mohammedan  question  in 
West  China  is  primarily  one  of  what  we  ought  to  do.  They  are  a 
fine  set  of  people,  fairly  well-to-do,  and  in  the  main  they  are  peace- 
ful, and  in  friendly  relations  with  their  neighbors.  They  consider 
that  religiously  they  have  far  more  in  common  with  us  than  with  the 
Chinese  about  them.” 

There  appears  to  be  a great  opportunity  to  reach  these  Moham- 
medans, which  is  being  almost  entirely  neglected. 


WHY  A SPECIAL  EFFORT  TO  REACH  MOSLEMS? 

Some  people  say:  “The  Mohammedans  believe  in  God,  and  are 
content  with  their  own  religion.  Why  should  we  disturb  them?” 

Even  those  who  admit  that  the  Moslems  need  Christ,  and  that 
their  own  religion  has  failed  to  make  them  pure  and  holy,  or  even 
to  make  them  useful  members  of  society,  very  often  deprecate  special 
work  on  their  behalf,  on  the  ground  that  the  returns  are  so  slight, 
and  that  the  same  amount  of  effort  would  bring  thousands  of  pagans 
into  the  Christian  Church. 

In  the  first  place,  Mohammedanism,  being  a strong  and  aggres- 
sive religion,  which  is  rapidly  spreading  among  pagan  tribes,  espe- 
cially in  Africa,  India  and  Malaysia,  presents  the  greatest  obstacle 
which  now  exists  to  the  further  spread  and  ultimate  triumph  of 
Christianity  in  the  world. 

Secondly,  being  not  merely  a religion,  but  also  a system  of  gov- 
ernment, Islam  controls  the  destiny  of  all  those  who  follow  the  teach- 


Islam’s  Challenge  to  Methodism 


13 


ings  of  Mohammed,  in  temporal  as  well  as  in  spiritual  things.  His- 
tory shows  that  Islam  has  always  encouraged  ignorance,  fanaticism, 
slavery,  and  the  degradation  of  women,  and  is  incapable  of  reform 
from  within. 

Thirdly,  even  if  Mohammedanism  were  not  in  itself  a menace 
to  civilization,  and  a clog  on  the  wheels  of  progress,  the  pitiable  social 
and  moral  condition  of  the  people  in  Moslem  lands  would  constrain 
all  lovers  of  mankind  to  give  them  the  blessings  of  modern  education 
and  enlightenment,  and  the  benefits  of  medical  skill  and  relief  from 
the  physical  sufferings  which  they  endure  through  ignorance  and 
superstition. 

“There  is  no  better  proof,”  says  Dr.  Zwemer,  “of  the  inadequacy 
of  the  religion  of  Mohammed  than  a study  of  the  present  intellectual, 
social,  and  moral  conditions  in  Moslem  lands.  What  these  conditions 
are  we  know  from  the  testimonies  of  travelers,  politicians  and  diplo- 
mats, as  well  as  from  the  missionaries  themselves.  The  purely 
Mohammedan  lands,  like  Arabia,  Persia,  Morocco  and  Afghanistan, 
are  at  the  antipodes  of  civilization  after  thirteen  centuries  of  Moslem 
rule.” 

Says  Robert  E.  Speer,  “Mohammedanism  is  held  by  many  who 
have  to  live  under  its  shadow,  to  be  the  most  degraded  religion,  mor- 
ally, in  the  world.  We  speak  of  it  as  superior  to  the  other  religions 
because  of  its  monotheistic  faith,  but  I would  rather  believe  in  ten 
pure  gods  than  in  one  God  who  would  have  for  his  supreme  prophet 
and  representative  a man  with  Mohammed’s  moral  character.  Can  a 
religion  of  immorality,  or  moral  inferiority  meet  the  needs  of  strug- 
gling men?” 

As  to  the  treatment  of  children,  Dr.  L.  0.  Hartman,  in  his  “Popu- 
lar Aspects  of  Oriental  Religions,”  writes:  “There  can  be  no  hope 

for  Islam  in  India  or  anywhere  else  in  the  world  unless  educational 
provisions  are  made  for  its  teeming  millions.  The  tragic  neglect  and 
abuse  of  childhood  lies  at  the  root  of  the  Moslem  peril.  Consider  the 
home  atmosphere,  that  first  and  most  potent  influence,  to  which  every 
child  is  subject.  Among  the  Mohammedans  we  find  polygamy, 
divorce,  sensuality,  deceit,  and  a host  of  other  evils.  Add  to  these 
the  prevalence  of  Oriental  diseases,  the  dirt  and  squalor,  the  utter 
lack  of  discipline,  and  the  home  life  of  the  Moslems  is  a sorry  spec- 


14 


Islam’s  Challenge  to  Methodism 


tacle.  Nevertheless  this  environment  constitutes  the  first  stage  in 
the  training  of  child  life.  Is  it  any  wonder  that  Islam  has  been  such 
an  obstructing  force  in  the  progress  of  the  world?” 


THE  STRENGTH  OF  ISLAM 

Mohammedanism,  with  all  its  defects,  is  by  no  means  a negligible 
force,  but  is  a very  active  and  powerful  rival  of  Christianity.  The 
secret  of  the  strength  of  Islam  is  to  be  found  partly  in  the  solidarity 
of  a great  organization,  which  binds  the  followers  of  Mohammed 
together  into  a great  brotherhood;  and  partly  in  the  truths  and  cor- 
rect principles  which  it  teaches. 

Stories  of  the  Conquest  of  Syria,  in  the  seventh  century,  and  other 
exploits  of  the  victorious  armies  of  the  early  Caliphs,  have  been  trans- 
lated into  the  principal  languages  spoken  by  Moslems,  and  are  eagerly 
read  even  at  the  present  day.  In  all  lands  Mohammedans  live  in  the 
glories  of  the  past,  and  look  forward  to  the  time  when  Islam  shall 
again  triumph  over  all  “unbelievers,”  and  when  the  “Faithful”  shall 
inherit  the  earth.  Every  Moslem  expects  to  volunteer  to  fight  in  the 
Way  of  Allah  whenever  the  call  shall  come. 

Mohammedanism  is  the  most  democratic  of  all  religions.  Theor- 
etically even  the  Caliph  himself  is  to  be  elected  by  the  votes  of  all 
Moslems,  and  may  be  deposed  by  the  same  authority  if  he  fails  to 
govern  according  to  the  law  of  Islam.  There  is  no  religious  hierarchy, 
and  every  believer  has  the  same  right  of  approach  to  Allah,  and  the 
humblest  worship  alongside  of  the  noblest.  There  is  no  caste  in 
Islam. 

The  solidarity  of  Islam  is  also  greatly  strengthened  by  the 
pilgrimage  to  Mecca,  which  brings  together  men  of  all  races  to  the 
one  central  sanctuary,  and  sends  them  home  more  firmly  convinced 
than  ever  of  the  strength  and  universality  of  their  religion.  The 
simplicity  of  the  one  brief  creed,  “There  is  no  god  but  Allah,  and 
Mohammed  is  the  messenger  of  Allah,”  the  sacredness  of  the  one 
holy  book,  and  the  definiteness  of  the  prescribed  ordinances  of  prayer, 
fasting  and  almsgiving,  all  tend  to  strengthen  the  unity  of  this  great 
religion,  and  to  make  it  easy  for  the  most  ignorant  to  understand  and 
hold  firmly  to  what  appears  to  them  sufficient  and  convincing. 

The  most  essential  truths  taught  by  Mohammed  were  the  Unity 


Islam’s  Challenge  to  Methodism 


15 


MOHAMMEDANS  AT  WORSHIP 

From  "Popular  Aspects  of  Oriental  Religions” 
By  L.  O.  Hartmann 


INTERIOR  PEARL  MOSQ¥E  AT  AGRA 

From  "Popular  Aspects  of  Oriental  Religions” 
By  L.  O.  Hartmann 


16 


Islam’s  Challenge  to  Methodism 


of  Allah,  the  resurrection,  and  the  certainty  of  a final  judgment. 
These  truths  have  resulted  in  the  abolition  of  idolatry  in  all  Moslem 
lands,  and  in  a tremendous  conviction  of  the  reality  of  the  future 
life,  which  has  made  all  Moslems  willing  to  face  death  for  the 
promised  joys  of  a sensual  paradise.  It  is  true  that  Mohammed’s 
utterly  inadequate  conception  of  the  character  of  God,  whom  he  con- 
ceived of  after  the  manner  of  an  Oriental  despot,  has  vitiated  the 
whole  system  of  Mohammedan  theology,  but  the  central  truth  of  there 
being  but  one  God  has  proved  to  be  a rock  foundation.  Also  with  all 
his  looseness  of  morals  in  regard  to  women,  and  his  rapacity  and 
cruelty,  Mohammed  succeeded  in  enforcing  certain  rules  of  conduct, 
which  while  not  burdensome  to  most  Orientals,  yet  have  a certain 
appearance  of  strict  morality ; such,  for  instance,  as  the  prohibition 
of  usury  and  of  intoxicating  drinks,  and  the  exhortation  to  hospitality 
and  generosity  to  the  poor.  All  Mohammedans  pride  themselves,  on 
keeping  these  precepts,  and  compare  their  own  practices  in  regard  to 
such  matters  with  the  extortion  and  drunkenness  prevalent  among 
those  who  profess  other  religions. 


THE  INADEQUACY  OF  ISLAM 

As  suggested  above,  the  great  defect  in  the  teachings  of  Mo- 
hammed was  in  his  conception  of  Allah  as  an  irresponsible  despot, 
bound  by  no  standards  of  right  and  wrong,  and  with  no  idea  of  justice 
towards  his  creatures.  The  Koran  itself  describes  Allah  as  creating 
many  of  the  Jinn  and  of  mankind  for  hell  (Koran  vii.  178),  and  this 
idea  has  been  amplified  in  the  traditions,  so  that  the  famous  theo- 
logian al-Ghazali  states  that  when  Allah  created  mankind,  he  pre- 
destined some  for  heaven  and  others  for  hell,  and  said,  “These  to  the 
Garden,  and  I care  not,  for  they  will  do  the  deeds  of  the  people  of 
the  Garden ; and  these  to  the  Fire,  and  I care  not,  for  they  will  do 
the  deeds  of  the  people  of  the  Fire.”  To  say  that  Allah  loves  man- 
kind is  to  the  learned  Moslem  blasphemy,  and  to  the  ignorant  fool- 
ishness. Allah  is  to  be  feared,  and  not  loved.  All  must  submit  to  his 
will,  or  suffer  his  vengeance.  Some  of  the  orthodox  would  not  even 
dare  to  say,  “1  am  a believer,”  without  adding,  “if  Allah  wills.”  No 
wonder  that  those  who  worship  such  a deity  have  in  their  disposition 
something  of  the  severity  and  cruelty  of  Mohammed’s  conception  of 
Allah. 


Islam’s  Challenge  to  Methodism 


17 


The  lives  of  all  Moslems  have  also  been  profoundly  influenced  by 
the  character  of  Mohammed  himself.  All  Mohammedans  are  liter- 
ally the  followers  of  Mohammed,  for  they  believe  that  the  greatest 
good  is  to  be  attained  by  copying  as  nearly  as  possible  every  action 
of  their  prophet.  To  this  end  the  doings  of  Mohammed  are  described 
in  the  traditions  with  the  utmost  detail.  Those  who  would  know 
what  is  set  before  Moslems  as  the  ideal  of  human  excellence  must 
study  not  only  his  character  as  portrayed  in  the  Koran,  but  also  the 
vast  amount  of  material  on  this  subject  to  be  found  in  the  traditions 
and  in  the  native  histories  of  the  prophet’s  life.  A recent  writer, 
Dr.  James  L.  Barton,  for  years  a missionary  in  Turkey,  and  now 
secretary  of  the  American  Board,  has  correctly  described  the  char- 
acter of  Mohammed  as  “sensual,  cruel,  ambitious,  inconsistent  and 
untruthful,  putting  the  Moslem  State  above  religion,  and  making 
plunder  and  violence  the  weapons  of  faith.” 

Moreover,  Mohammed  is  looked  upon  by  Moslems  not  merely  as  a 
perfect  man  whose  example  is  to  be  followed  in  the  minutest  detail. 
The  doctrine  of  the  Light  of  Mohammed,  or  Haqiqat  Mohammed, 
exalts  him  to  the  rank  of  a demi-god.  The  following  is  a quotation 
from  Imam  Qastalani,  to  be  found  in  Hughes  Dictionary  of  Islam: 

“The  first  thing  created  wras  the  Light  of  your  prophet,  which 
was  created  from  the  Light  of  Allah.  This  Light  of  mine  roamed 
about  wherever  Allah  willed,  and  when  the  Almighty  resolved  to  make 
the  world,  he  divided  this  Light  of  Mohammed  into  four  portions: 
from  the  first  he  created  the  pen  ( qalam ) ; from  the  second  the  tablet 
( lauh ) ; from  the  third  the  highest  heaven  and  the  throne  of  Allah 
( arsh ) ; the  fourth  part  was  divided  into  four  sections:  from  the  first 
were  created  the  hamalatu  ’l-arsh,  or  the  eight  angels  who  support  the 
throne  of  Allah ; from  the  second  the  kursi,  or  lower  throne  of  Allah ; 
from  the  third  the  angels ; and  the  fourth,  being  divided  into  four  sub- 
divisions, from  it  were  created  (1)  the  firmaments  or  seven  heavens, 
(2)  the  earth,  (3)  the  seven  paradises  and  seven  hells,  and  again  from 
a fourth  section  were  created  (1)  the  light  of  the  eyes,  (2)  the  light  of 
the  mind,  (3)  the  light  of  the  love  of  the  unity  of  Allah,  (4)  the  re- 
maining portion  of  creation.” 

Another  statement  from  an  Arabic  source  reads:  “The  holy 

Light  of  Mohammed  dwelt  under  the  empyrean  73,000  years,  and 
then  resided  70,000  years  in  paradise.  Afterwards  it  rested  another 
period  of  70,000  years,  under  the  celestial  tree  called  Sidratu 


18 


Islam’s  Challenge  to  Methodism 


’1-Muntaha,  and,  emigrating  from  heaven  to  heaven,  arrived  at  length 
in  the  lowest  of  these  celestial  mansions,  where  it  remained  until  the 
Most  High  willed  the  creation  of  Adam.” 

Contrast  with  the  above  exaltation  of  Mohammed  the  following 
quotations  from  the  Koran,  which  deny  the  divinity  of  Christ,  His 
crucifixion,  and  consequently  His  resurrection,  reducing  Him  to  the 
level  of  a mere  messenger  from  Allah,  inferior  in  authority  to  Mo- 
hammed himself. 

“They  are  unbelievers  who  say,  ‘Verily  Allah  is  the  Messiah,  the 
son  of  Mary’;  but  the  Messiah  said,  ‘0  children  of  Israel,  worship 
Allah,  my  Lord  and  your  Lord’;  verily  he  who  associates  aught  with 
Allah,  Allah  hath  forbidden  him  paradise,  and  his  resort  is  the  Fire, 
and  the  unjust  shall  have  none  to  help  them.  They  are  unbelievers 
who  say,  ‘Verily  Allah  is  the  third  of  three’ ; for  there  is  no  God  but 
one.  . . . The  Messiah,  the  son  of  Mary,  is  only  a prophet; 

prophets  before  him  have  passed  away;  and  his  mother  was  a con- 
fessor; both  of  them  used  to  eat  food.”  Koran  v.  76-80. 

“Yet  they  slew  him  not,  neither  crucified  him,  but  he  was  repre- 
sented by  one  in  his  likeness.  . . . They  did  not  really  kill  him, 

but  Allah  took  him  up  unto  himself ; and  Allah  is  mighty  and  wise.” 
Koran  iv.  156. 

Islam  claims  that  Mohammed  has  superceded  Jesus,  but  does  not 
pretend  to  provide  any  system  of  redemption  for  sinful  men.  Moham- 
medans do  not  deny  that"  men  are  sinful,  but  to  them  sin  does  not 
consist  in  doing  that  which  is  morally  wrong,  for  they  have  no  stan- 
dard of  right  and  wrong  except  the  will  of  Allah ; therefore  sin  con- 
sists in  doing  that  which  Allah  forbids,  or  in  omitting  those  ordinances 
which  Allah  prescribes.  Sins,  however,  may  be  cancelled  by  what 
may  perhaps  be  described  as  works  of  supererogation,  such  as  the 
repetition  of  certain  passages  of  the  Koran,  or  the  99  names  of  Allah, 
or  by  other  ritual  observances,  whereby  the  believers  may  accumulate 
merit  which  will  outweigh  their  sins. 

The  religion  of  Mohammed  appears  to  be  incapable  of  inspiring 
his  followers  with  love  for  humanity,  and  we  find  only  bitterness  and 
hatred  against  all  who  resist  what  they  believe  to  be  the  will  of  Allah, 
and  who  refuse  to  become  Mohammedans.  The  following  is  a prayer, 
quoted  by  Lane  in  his  “Modern  Egyptians,”  as  being  taught  to  Moslem 
children  in  Egypt: 


Islam’s  Challenge  to  Methodism 


19 


A MOHAMMEDAN  SCHOOL  IN  BOMBAY 

From  “Popular  Aspects  of  Oriental  Religions” 
By  L.  O.  Hartmann 


MOHAMMEDAN  SCHOOL  CHILDREN 

From  “Popular  Aspects  of  Oriental  Religions” 
By  L.  O.  Hartmann 


20 


Islam’s  Challenge  to  Methodism 


“0  Allah,  destroy  the  infidels  and  polytheists,  thine  enemies,  the 
enemies  of  Islam.  0 Allah,  make  their  children  orphans,  and  defile 
their  abodes,  and  cause  their  feet  to  slip,  and  give  them,  and  their 
families  and  their  children,  and  their  possessions,  and  their  race, 
and  their  wealth,  and  their  land,  as  booty  to  the  Moslems.” 

A similar  spirit  is  exhibited  in  the  following  quotation  from  a 
letter  sent  by  a certain  Sheikh  Abd  ul  Haqq  of  Baghdad  for  publica- 
tion in  a French  journal: 

“For  us  in  the  world  there  are  only  believers  and  unbelievers; 
love,  charity,  fraternity  toward  believers;  contempt,  disgust,  hatred 
and  war  against  unbelievers.  Amongst  unbelievers  the  most  hateful 
and  criminal  are  those  who,  while  recognizing  God,  attribute  to  him 
earthly  relationships,  give  him  a son,  a mother.  Learn  then,  Euro- 
pean observers,  that  a Christian  of  no  matter  what  position,  from 
the  simple  fact  that  he  is  a Christian,  is  in  our  eyes  a blind  man,  fallen 
from  all  human  dignity.  Other  infidels  have  rarely  been  aggressive 
towards  us;  but  Christians  have  at  all  times  shown  themselves  our 
bitterest  enemies.  . . . Our  most  ardent  aspiration  and  hope  is 

to  reach  the  happy  day  when  we  can  efface  the  last  vestiges  of  your 
accursed  empire.” 


DOES  ISLAM  SATISFY  MOSLEMS? 

Even  before  the  war  the  number  of  reform  movements  in  the 
Moslem  world  were  an  indication  that  the  Mohammedans  themselves 
were  not  satisfied  with  their  own  religion.  The  Wahhabi  movement 
in  the  direction  of  the  most  rigid  orthodoxy  and  conservatism  on  the 
one  hand,  and  the  extreme  liberalism,  amounting  practically  to 
heresy,  of  the  Ahmadiya  movement  in  India,  are  perhaps  the  most 
notable.  Bahaism  in  Persia,  and  the  Mahdist  movements  are  other 
indications  of  unrest. 

In  1899  delegates  from  different  parts  of  the  world  met  in  Mecca, 
and  for  fourteen  days  discussed  the  causes  for  the  decay  of  Islam. 
Fifty-seven  reasons  were  given,  including  fatalism,  the  opposition 
of  science,  the  rejection  of  religious  liberty,  neglect  of  education,  and 
inactivity  due  to  the  hopelessness  of  the  cause  itself. 


Islam’s  Challenge  to  Methodism 


21 


A leading  Moslem  editor  in  India  wrote  in  1914:  ‘‘We  see  that 

neither  wealth  nor  ‘education’  nor  political  power  can  enable  the 
Moslems  to  achieve  their  national  salvation.  Where  then  lies  the 
remedy?  Before  seeking  the  remedy  we  must  ascertain  the  disease. 
But  the  Moslems  are  not  diseased,  they  have  reached  a worse  stage. 
A diseased  man  has  still  life  in  him.” 

Today  Mohammedans  all  over  the  world  have  been  profoundly 
stirred  by  the  downfall  of  the  Ottoman  Empire,  and  by  the  loss  of 
political  power  in  practically  all  Moslem  countries.  At  the  present 
time  more  than  90%  of  all  the  followers  of  Mohammed  are  living 
under  the  rule  of  non-Moslems. 

Among  educated  Moslems,  especially  in  India  and  Egypt,  the 
more  intelligent  have  begun  to  realize  their  religion  is  inadequate  to 
meet  their  deepest  needs,  either  intellectually  or  socially,  or  even  in 
spiritual  things.  Western  education  is  shaking  the  whole  fabric  of 
Islam  to  its  very  foundations.  In  1910,  a Mohammedan  wrote  as 
follows  in  the  “Muslim  Review:” 

“The  truth  is  that  Western  education,  as  imported  at  present, 
demolishes  the  old  building  of  one’s  beliefs,  but  does  not  arrange  for 
the  construction  of  another  and  more  beautiful.  The  mind  is  un- 
hinged; it  knows  not  where  to  go  to  find  repose,  till  at  last  Jeremy 
Bentham  and  Herbert  Spencer  dawn  to  it  as  embodiments  of  sound 
logic,  wisdom,  and  common  sense.  The  consequence  is  not  very  pleas- 
ant to  look  upon.  The  Hindu  rails  against  the  rulers,  the  Muslim 
turns  traitor  to  the  traditions  of  unflinching  loyalty  to  Islam.  Islam 
is  a dead  letter  in  educated  circles.” 

Another  Indian  Mohammedan  has  written  recently:  “Islam  is 

too  well  entrenched  to  be  easily  thrown  down,  but  not  the  most  super- 
ficial observer  could  fail  to  notice  the  change  that  has  come  over  us.” 

Another  Mohammedan  writes:  “What  is  now  called  religion  is 

simply  a lifeless  form.  A man  mumbles  certain  sounds,  and  makes 
flexions  of  the  body,  and  he  has  done  all  that  this  religion  requires 
of  him  to  do.  He  is  now  at  liberty  to  go  and  cheat  his  employer, 
render  false  accounts,  and  speak  a multiplicity  of  lies.  . . . The 
Ulema  (the  learned)  have  always  been  against  a diffusion  of  knowl- 
edge ; they  wish  to  keep  the  Book  of  God,  and  all  religious  books,  in  a 
foreign  and  unknown  tongue.  They  desire  to  keep  the  people  in 
ignorance  and  superstition,  so  that  their  influence  and  power  may 


22 


Islam’s  Challenge  to  Methodism 


continue  unabated.  . . . It  is  futile  to  hope  for  the  regeneration 

of  our  community  by  means  of  a revival  of  Arabic  literature.” 

The  most  remarkable  book  which  has  appeared  recently  from  the 
pen  of  a Mohammedan  is  “Essays,  Indian  and  Islamic,”  by  Mr.  S. 
Khuda  Bukhsh,  which  should  be  read  by  all  who  wish  to  understand 
how  an  educated  Moslem  views  the  present  social  and  religious  condi- 
tion of  his  fellow-countrymen.  He  has  written  most  frankly  in  regard 
to  the  ignorance  and  social  degradation  of  the  Mohammedan  people, 
and  his  book  cannot  fail  to  enlist  the  sympathy  of  his  readers  on 
behalf  of  those  whom  Mohammed’s  teachings  have  failed  to  help  or 
elevate. 


HOW  CAN  WE  HELP  THE  MOSLEMS? 

A definite  program  is  needed,  and  the  forces  at  the  disposal  of 
the  Christian  Church  should  be  mobilized  without  delay,  for  it  is  im- 
possible to  say  how  long  the  present  favorable  conditions  for  reaching 
the  Mohammedans  may  last. 

Experience  has  shown  that  Mohammedans  have  been  more  in- 
fluenced by  reading  the  New  Testament  than  by  preaching.  They 
have  great  faith  in  a written  revelation,  and  literature  of  the  right 
kind,  not  polemic,  has  always  had  a profound  effect  upon  them.  All 
experienced  missionaries  give  the  first  place  to 


A Literature  Campaign 

Christian  governments,  under  whose  authority  the  vast  majority 
of  Moslems  are  living  today,  have  opened  the  way  for  us  by  teaching 
millions  of  Mohammedans  to  read  their  own  language.  For  centuries 
all  the  education  that  Mohammedan  teachers  have  given  the  boys  in 
their  schools  has  been  to  make  them  recite  the  Koran  in  Arabic,  which 
to  perhaps  80%  of  them  was  an  absolutely  unknown  tongue.  To  this 
day  such  a recitation  of  the  Koran  is  the  entire  curriculum  in  all 
Moslem  schools.  But  under  the  British  and  Dutch  governments  in 
Malaysia  alone  there  are  today  more  than  700,000  children  being 
taught  to  read  the  Malay  and  Javanese  languages. 

There  are  now  millions  of  readers  in  India  and  Malaysia,  but  no 
books  of  an  elevating  and  enlightening  character  have  been  provided 


Islam’s  Challenge  to  Methodism 


23 


for  them.  It  seems  as  if  this  duty  has  been  reserved  for  the  Christian 
Church. 

“Arabic  Moslem  literature,”  says  Dr.  Zwemer,  “is  anti-Christian, 
impure,  full  of  intolerance  and  fanaticism  towards  Western  ideas, 
and  wholly  inadequate  to  meet  the  intellectual  and  moral  needs  of 
humanity.” 

Nearly  all  the  literature  in  the  languages  of  India  and  Malaysia 
which  is  being  read  by  Moslems  today  consists  of  translations  from 
the  Arabic  works  which  Dr.  Zwemer  thus  accurately  describes,  or  of 
erotic  poetry  which  is  of  anything  but  an  elevating  type. 

The  Bible  First  of  All 

The  Bible  Societies  have  been  doing  splendid  work  in  translating 
the  Scriptures  into  many  of  the  languages  spoken  by  Moslems,  and 
selling  them  broadcast  by  means  of  a great  system  of  colportage. 
The  following  figures  show  the  number  of  books,  mostly  single  Gos- 
pels, circulated  among  Moslems  in  the  various  languages  in  1916 : 


Urdu  (Hindustani)  167,705 

Arabic  50,633 

Javanese 45,153 

Panjabi 28,766 

Persian  11,251 

Malay  . 9,180 

Turkish 8,141 

Bengali  4,106 

Moorish  Arabic 3,338 

Algerian  Arabic  ' 2,060 

Bugis  1,154 

Pashtu  , 808 

Sundanese  251 


But  the  work  of  giving  the  Scriptures  to  the  Moslems  is  not  yet 
completed.  In  some  languages  the  Bible  is  only  printed  in  a written 
character  which  very  few  Moslems  can  read,  and  needs  to  be  reprinted 
for  them  in  the  Arabic  character.  For  Moslems  we  have  only  the 
complete  Bible  in  Arabic  character  in  five  languages: 

Arabic,  Persian,  Turkish,  Urdu,  Malay. 

In  nine  other  languages  we  have  the  whole  Bible,  but  it  is  printed 
in  Roman  or  Sanscritic  characters,  namely, 


24 


Islam’s  Challenge  to  Methodism 


Gujerati,  Tamil,  Malayalam,  Bengali,  Kashmiri,  Javanese, 

Sundanese,  Galla,  Kiswahili. 

In  five  other  languages  we  have  the  whole  New  Testament  in 
Arabic  characters,  and  in  29  other  languages  we  have  one  or  more 
books.  There  are  many  other  languages  spoken  by  Moslems  into 
which  not  even  one  portion  of  the  Bible  has  been  translated. 

There  has  been  a phenomenal  increase  in  the  sales  of  the  Scrip- 
tures to  Mohammedans  in  every  part  of  the  world  within  the  last 
few  years,  and  many  of  those  who  buy  a Gospel  return  to  the  colpor- 
teurs and  buy  another,  or  buy  the  whole  New  Testament. 


General  Literature  Needed 

Not  only  tracts  and  books  of  a distinctly  religious  character,  but 
also  periodical  literature,  and  books  on  a great  variety  of  subjects 
are  urgently  needed  in  all  Moslem  lands. 

The  Nile  Mission  Press  at  Cairo  is  doing  a great  work  in  the 
preparation  and  publication  of  a Christian  literature  in  the  Arabic 
language.  All  the  books,  however,  in  this,  the  most  important  lan- 
guage for  Moslems,  which  have  yet  appeared  from  the  Nile  Mission 
Press  only  occupy  a space  25  inches  long  on  the  writer’s  book-shelf! 

In  the  Urdu  language,  the  principal  Moslem  language  of  India, 
there  is  probably  a much  wider  range  of  subjects,  and  a larger  num- 
ber of  books  have  been  published,  but  the  majority  of  these  have  been 
written  not  for  Mohammedan  but  for  Christian  readers.  It  is  of  the 
utmost  importance  that  all  literature  intended  to  be  read  by  Moslems 
should  be  prepared  by  those  who  have  made  such  a special  study  of 
Mohammedanism  that  their  writings  will  meet  the  special  needs  of 
the  people. 

The  literature  suitable  for  Moslems  in  Malaysia  consists  of  one 
book  of  about  100  pages,  half  a dozen  booklets  of  from  20  to  30  pages, 
and  perhaps  a dozen  tracts,  all  of  which  are  in  the  Malay  language. 

In  the  Chinese  language  nothing  whatever  appears  to  have  been 
published  specifically  to  meet  the  needs  of  the  eight  million  Moham- 
medans of  that  race. 

It  would  seem  that  the  first  duty  of  the  Christian  Church  is  to 
make  adequate  arrangements  for  the  production  and  dissemination 


Islam’s  Challenge  to  Methodism 


25 


A Moslem  School 


26 


Islam’s  Challenge  to  Methodism 


of  wholesome  and  elevating  literature  in  the  various  languages  spoken 
by  Mohammedans.  The  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  with  its  strong 
publishing  houses  in  India,  Malaysia  and  China,  should  contribute 
very  greatly  to  the  success  of  this  important  undertaking. 


Christian  Education 

As  already  stated,  the  orthodox  Mohammedan  idea  of  education 
is  to  teach  boys  to  recite  the  Koran  in  a language  of  which  the  great 
majority  of  them  do  not  understand  a word.  The  few  privileged  ones 
who  learn  enough  of  the  classical  Arabic  to  be  able  to  understand  it, 
may  continue  their  studies  in  religious  and  civil  jurisprudence,  in 
Arabic  grammar,  without  which  the  Koran  is  a sealed  book,  and  in 
theological  dissertations.  The  orthodox  theory  is  that  whatever  was 
necessary  for  mankind  to  know  was  revealed  in  the  Koran,  and  that 
therefore  it  is  utterly  unnecessary,  if  not  irreligious,  to  seek  for  any 
knowledge  not  connected  in  some  way  with  the  Koran.  For  the 
learned  Mohammedan,  history  ceases  with  the  golden  age  of  the 
great  Caliphs,  and  science  goes  very  little  if  any  further  than  Aris- 
totle, Plato  and  the  Copernican  system.  Orthodox  Islam  is  bitterly 
opposed  to  modern  education. 

In  spite  of  the  opposition  of  their  religious  leaders,  Moslems  are 
beginning  to  realize  the  importance  of  Western  science,  and  are  send- 
ing their  boys  in  increasing  numbers  to  the  schools  which  have  been 
established  by  Christian  governments,  and  even  to  mission  schools. 
The  government  vernacular  schools  are  limited  generally  to  the 
primary  grades,  and  there  is  a certain  amount  of  hesitation  on  the 
part  of  Christian  officials  in  introducing  the  text  books  of  modern 
science  into  these  vernacular  schools.  It  is  for  the  most  part  through 
the  medium  of  the  English  language  that  modern  education  is  reach- 
ing the  Mohammedans  in  India  and  Malaysia,  as  well  as  in  the  Near 
East.  In  North  Africa  the  French  government  does  not  allow 
churches  or  missions  to  give  secular  instruction,  and  boys  must  go  to 
the  public  schools;  but  our  missionaries  have  established  homes  or 
hostels  in  which  the  children,  while  attending  the  government  schools, 
can  be  cared  for  and  given  a religious  training.  If  the  same  plan 
were  adopted  in  India  and  Malaysia  for  Mohammedan  boys,  many 
of  their  parents  could  no  doubt  be  induced  to  give  them  the  benefits' 


Islam’s  Challenge  to  Methodism 


27 


of  an  English  education  who  are  now  deterred  from  doing  so  owing 
to  their  living  at  a distance  from  the  English  school  centers. 

In  the  matter  of  female  education  for  the  Mohammedans  very 
little  progress  has  yet  been  made,  owing  to  the  great  difficulty  of 
obtaining  competent  women  teachers  from  amongst  the  Moham- 
medans themselves.  It  is  difficult  to  see  how  this  great  problem  can 
be  successfully  handled  unless  Christian  women  lead  the  way  by  learn- 
ing the  vernaculars  so  thoroughly  that  they  will  be  competent  to  train 
the  native  women  to  become  primary  school  teachers.  There  is  a 
great  field  here  for  the  young  women  of  our  church.  Mohammedans, 
like  all  other  Orientals,  have  the  greatest  veneration  for  the  teacher, 
and  the  training  of  their  children  opens  a wide  door  of  approach  to 
the  homes  and  hearts  of  the  Moslems. 


Medical  Missions 

The  strong  and  sometimes  bitter  opposition  to  Christianity,  and 
even  to  individual  Christians,  which  is  found  almost  universally 
among  the  Mohammedans,  is  broken  down  perhaps  more  effectively 
than  in  any  other  way  through  the  sympathy  and  helpfulness  of  mis- 
sionary doctors  and  nurses.  In  times  of  sickness  and  suffering,  and 
when  the  mother  is  despairing  of  the  life  of  her  child,  Islam  has 
nothing  to  offer,  not  even  a word  of  comfort.  To  heal  the  sick,  and  to 
teach  better  and  more  sanitary  ways  of  living,  and  of  taking  care  of 
their  children,  is  the  privilege  of  the  Christian  doctor. 

Christian  governments  are  doing  what  they  can  in  Moslem  lands 
by  establishing  hospitals,  and  by  training  the  natives  as  hospital 
assistants  and  nurses,  and  even  as  fully  qualified  doctors,  but  the 
Mohammedans  show  a remarkable  unwillingness  to  avail  themselves 
of  the  opportunities  afforded  them  in  government  institutions.  Mos- 
lems are  to  be  found  in  government  hospitals  in  much  smaller  num- 
bers than  the  Hindus  and  Chinese. 

In  Malaysia  the  Dutch  government  has  recognized  that  the  care 
of  the  sick  among  the  teeming  populations  for  which  it  is  responsible 
is  peculiarly  the  task  of  Christian  missionaries,  and  the  government 
has  most  generously  undertaken  to  pay  three-fourths  of  the  cost  of 
erecting  hospitals,  and  to  provide  the  salaries  of  doctors  and  nurses, 


28 


Islam’s  Challenge  to  Methodism 


if  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  will  supply  the  men  and  women 
for  this  work.  We  are  here  confronted  with  a marvelous  opportunity 
for  doing  effective  medical  work  among  35,000,000  of  Mohammedans 
who  are  almost  entirely  without  scientific  medical  attention.  The 
Centenary  askings  include  ten  new  hospitals  and  two  doctors’  houses 
for  Malaysia,  at  a cost  of  only  $45,000,  and  ten  missionary  doctors 
are  asked  for.  If  these  hospitals,  however,  are  to  be  effectively 
manned,  it  will  be  necessary  after  a few  years  to  double  the  staff  of 
doctors. 

At  the  present  time  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  has  in 
India  only  four  hospitals  and  dispensaries,  and  these  are  not  specially 
for  Mohammedans.  In  Malaysia  there  is  one  hospital,  and  in  North 
Africa  none. 

The  Centenary  askings  for  this  department  of  work  in  India  are 
rightly  characterized  as  “over-modest.”  They  are  as  follows : 

2 Missionary  doctors. 

2 Missionary  nurses. 

3 Native  doctors. 

10  Native  nurses. 

North  Africa  asks  for  two  American  doctors  and  six  dispensaries. 

It  is  to  be  feared  that  this  entire  program  for  medical  work  is 
altogether  too  meagre  to  meet  the  needs  of  that  part  of  the  Moham- 
medan world  for  which  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  is  responsible. 


Missionary  Leadership 

The  most  urgent  demand,  if  any  adequate  program  for  the  evan- 
gelization of  the  Mohammedan  world  is  to  be  carried  out,  is  that 
young  men  and  women  with  the  highest  spiritual  and  educational 
attainments  should  offer  themselves  to  be  trained  for  leadership  in 
this  most  difficult  work. 

No  ordinary  equipment  is  sufficient  for  this  purpose.  The  diffi- 
culties to  be  met  with  are  very  great,  and  the  problems  are  so  peculiar 
that  very  special  preparation  is  absolutely  essential.  The  study  of 
the  literature  and  theology  and  philosophy  of  Islam  is  quite  impos- 
sible without  some  acquaintance  with  the  Arabic  language.  Ex- 
perience has  shown  that  the  study  of  classical  Arabic  cannot  be 


Islam’s  Challenge  to  Methodism 


29 


successfully  commenced  on  the  mission  field,  as  native  teachers  com- 
petent to  give  the  necessary  instruction  cannot  be  found. 

At  the  Kennedy  School  of  Missions,  Hartford,  Conn.,  a course  of 
instruction  in  the  Arabic  language  and  in  Mohammedanism  is  given 
by  Dr.  Duncan  B.  Macdonald.  Graduates  of  theological  schools  who 
have  some  linguistic  ability,  and  would  be  willing  to  take  a year’s 
special  training  for  Mohammedan  work,  are  urged  to  communicate 
at  once  with  the  Candidate  Secretary,  150  Fifth  Avenue,  New  York 
City. 

Medical  men  and  nurses  are  also  urgently  needed  for  Moham- 
medan work,  and  will  not  be  required  to  take  the  special  training  at 
the  School  of  Missions. 


30 


Islam’s  Challenge  to  Methodism 


Selected  Bibliography 

MOHAMMEDANISM  IN  GENERAL 

Barton,  J.  L.,  The  Christian  Approach  to  Islam. 

Lane,  E.  W.,  An  Account  of  the  Manners  and  Customs  of  Modern 
Egyptians. 

Macdonald,  Duncan  B.,  Aspects  of  Islam. 

Wherry,  E.  M.,  Islam  and  Christianity  in  India  and  the  Far  East. 
Zwemer,  S.  M.,  Mohammed  or  Christ? 

Zwemer,  S.  M.,  The  Moslem  World. 

Methods  of  Mission  Work  Among  Moslems,  Revell. 

The  Presentation  of  Christianity  to  Moslems,  Board  of  Missionary 
Preparation,  25  Madison  Avenue,  New  York  City. 

CHINA 

Broomhall,  M.,  Islam  in  China. 

INDIA 

Bukhsh,  S.  Khuda,  Essays,  Indian  and  Islamic. 

Walter,  H.  A.,  The  Ahmadiya  Movement. 

MALAYSIA 

Cabaton,  A.,  Java,  Sumatra  and  the  Other  Islands  of  the  Dutch  East 
Indies. 

Simon,  G.,  The  Progress  and  Arrest  of  Islam  in  Sumatra. 
Swettenham,  F.  A.,  British  Malaya. 


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